…Wants 15% of total National Budget for Health.
Unless urgent steps are taken by the Federal states and Local Governments to properly fund HIV/AIDS control, prevention, treatment and care, Nigeria’s labour population is gradually being depleted, the Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria(NWPWHAN) has said.
The National Coordinator of NEPWHAN, Mr. Victor Olaore Omoshehin stated this in Abuja in his address to mark this year’s NEPWHAN Candlelight Memorial in honour of those who have died as a result of the HIV/AIDS scourge in the country.
Mr. Omoshehin also advocated the increase in the health budget to 15 percent of the total national budget apart from 100 per cent prompt release to tackle the pandemic as foreign donors are gradually withdrawing their funding.
According to him, of the 3.2 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the country, about one million are currently accessing antiretroviral therapy (ART) with children constituting a tiny 5%, stressing that the remaining 2.2 million people are unattended to, living face-to-face with death.
“Prompt release of 100% budget for AIDS control, prevention, treatment, and care for the relevant MDAs could make a difference between life and death for a pregnant woman in Zamfara, a farmer in Zinc, a palm wine tapper in Ile-Ife and a fisherman in Bonny Island”, he said.
He noted that the vision 90:90:90 is still far from being achieved as far as their rights and that of the vulnerable population is continuously being weakened by health workers and Nigerians at large.
He further said Nigeria can take charge of its National HIV/AIDS response through the establishment of an AIDS Trust Fund, apart from improved funding by three tiers of government.
“We need not wait for statutory allocation every year or wait for donors to help us all the time. This country is blessed and rich with abundant resources. The National AIDS Trust Fund has worked in so many countries. It can work in our country because it has worked in so many countries”, he said.
Earlier in his statement at the occasion, the National Secretary of NEPWHAN, Mr. Abdulkadir Ibrahim, said the gale of dwindling donor support to Nigeria has led to increase in the call for improved ownership and sustainability by the government, adding that PEPFAR and the Global Fund are re-prioritizing the interventions and activities they will fund.
He noted that the Global Fund particularly, has informed the Nigerian Government of their intention to continue to support HIV prevention leaving the responsibilities of treatment, care and support services to the Nigerian government. On the other, PEPFAR is currently supporting 32 LGAs in Nigeria with comprehensive HIV and AIDS services.
Ibrahim further observed that if the federal government does not step up her game and take full responsibility of treatment, care and support, majority of HIV clients will not be able to access ARVs, stressing that these clients will become sicker, and develop resistance to the first line ARVs, putting heavier financial burden on the country to acquire the far more expensive second and third line drugs, which will definitely pose grave danger to the public and to the country as a whole.
He also opined that it is not enough that Nigeria adopts the Test and Treat method as stipulated by the World Health Organization, adding that the impact is made only when the treatment commences.
In his goodwill message, the Director General of National Agency for the Control of Aids(NACA), Dr. Sani Aliyu said the 90:90:90 target has received a boost in the country with the new guidelines of test and treat, positing that the method will enable the country achieve the targets thereby eliminating further deaths attributable to HIV/AIDS.
Dr. Aliyu, who was represented at the occasion by the Director Partnerships, Coordination and Support of NACA, Dr. Emmanuel Alhassan, said there was a renewed hope of viral suppression that would provide the potency to stop further transmission as a prevention tool, while prolonging the lives of the infected persons.
He called on all stakeholders to support government effort aimed at overcoming the myriads of challenges by putting the country’s dreams of achieving 90:90:90 alive.
The Executive Secretary of Civil Society for HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (CiSHAN), Mr. Walter Ugwuocha , Project Director of MSH, Country Director of FH1360 and various stakeholders delivered goodwill messages at the occasion.
